Local primary school children learn about Emmaus South Wales

Maes Yr Haul Primary School, located in the Broadlands area of Bridgend, invited Emmaus South Wales to visit the school to do a presentation about the charity. The year five and six pupils have been studying the issue of homelessness and social exclusion and had recently had a presentation off the Welsh Government. The pupils wanted to hear how a local charity is helping people facing these tough issues.

Our Marketing Coordinator, Georgia visited the school to carry out the presentation to over one hundred, ten and eleven year old pupils. Georgia happens to be a former pupil of the school and was delighted to go back to Maes Yr Haul over 10 years later to inspire and educate the next generation.

Georgia said "It was a pleasure to be invited back to Maes yr Haul to do a presentation about Emmaus South Wales. The children were so engaged and interested in the work of Emmaus and were shocked to know that our Community home, Nant Lais is only a 10 minute walk away from the school."

The presentation was informative and shared key information such as how people may find themselves homeless, what Emmaus South Wales does to help people facing homelessness and also the solidarity work we carry out! It was also an interactive session, with the children answering lots of questions such as 'Where is Nant Lais?', 'Where are our shops?', and 'What items do we sell in our shops?'. Every pupil who answered a question correctly had an Emmaus South Wales themed prize, which went down a treat!

At the end of the presentation there was enough time for a question and answer session. The children were so well behaved and asked over 25 brilliant questions such as 'What about if someone sleeping on the street doesn't want help off you?', 'Who helps homeless individuals who have children?', 'What other charities/organisations do you work with?' and 'Are there other Emmaus Communities?'. It was a fantastic afternoon and the children seemed really engaged and interested in their local homeless charity.

Georgia, ESW Marketing Coordinator said "Just a day after I had done the presentation, a parent shared with me how much the presentation had inspired her child. So much so, they had to go straight to our Superstore to have a look around. It was so brilliant to hear the presentation had made an instant impact!"

If you are a pupil/teacher in a primary/secondary school or college and would like us to come and speak to you about Emmaus South Wales, please email [email protected] . We can also help you with the volunteering aspect of your Welsh Bacc and DofE qualifications. Just visit our schools volunteeringpage.